Lasizwe, real name Thulasizwe Siphiwe Dambuza, broke to fame with his funny YouTube videos. Fast forward to a few years, the YouTube sensation is breaking the internet and even has his own reality show. uBabes Wamaleyvels sat down with ZAlebs to talk about his career, the famous Twar with Pearl Thusi and everything in between.
How did you get your foot in the industry?
I started my career by making YouTube videos. In my craft, I’ve been quite consistent and always seeing the bigger picture and praying has certainly helped grow my brand. And having the right mentality.
How do you handle negative comments from social media?
Twitter has a very dark place, and people on that platform say what they want without empathy. There are a lot of people who will say things for the purpose of trying to get retweets, so I try not to take it to heart. Even though sometimes it’s painful and sad, it’s more of a self-knowledge and self-awareness [thing]. Being secure in myself and my brand allows me to not let other people depict my life.
Speaking of social media, please tell us about your Twar with Pearl Thusi.
I know Pearl on a personal level, I’ve hung out with her before, I even went to the Katy Perry concert with her. I’ve had a nice relationship with her, so I was taken aback by the responses because I am very fond of her. But with that being said, nothing I said was coming from a bad place, I was simply stating facts about her going to work in America.
Please tell us about your new show, Lasizwe: Fake It Till You Make It.
My reality show has always been something I wanted to do, but I’ve been getting a lot of nos and finally last year, MTV approached me and I couldn’t say no. My show is the first local reality television show to be hosted by MTV, so it’s a big deal for me. I think it came through this year because brands started trusting my brand, I was more credible this year as my CV grew, I finally earned my stripes in the industry.
How did you come up with the name of the show?
The entertainment industry is quite deceptive, you see celebrities popping bottles at clubs but the reality is that it’s the club that’s spending money on them. So, the audience at home has a different perception, they see celebs spending R20k at a club. So, the title speaks of the industry I am in.
What can we expect from the show?
You can expect to see a side of me people hardly see, so the emotional side and the energetic side. A lot of fun and family moments. I’ll share a lot of tears and happy times. But mostly, my show is just a lot of love and relationships and tackling my career. A lot of people are asking me about Khanyi Mbau, all I can say is that she might or not be on the show, you’ll just have to wait and see.
Will we see your partner, Cedric Fourie?
Hahahahaha, Cedric is my friend, guys. But you’ll have to watch the show for more.
Lasizwe: Fake It Till You Make It is set to premier on Monday, 21 January. Will you be watching?
Source: ZAlebs
